Head Coach Gregor Townsend today named the Scotland team to face France in the opening Summer Test match at the Allianz Riviera in Nice this Saturday (kick-off 9pm SA time, 8pm UK time).
The match will be the first of four Test matches for the national team in the coming weeks – Scotland host France in the return fixture next Saturday at BT Murrayfield, before away and home Tests against Georgia – all of which are designed to refine the selection decisions of Head Coach Gregor Townsend, who will name his final squad for Rugby World Cup 2019 next month.
Townsend said: “A huge amount of work has gone in throughout the past two months in order to deliver our best level of performance in the Rugby World Cup.
“These four Tests are a vital part of that process in terms of testing our systems and combinations but also in seeing which players put their best foot forward when it comes to selection for the final 31-man group going to Japan next month.”
Hosts South Africa and Kenya are now just one win away from securing the region’s qualification ticket to Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021 in New Zealand after maintaining their winning records on Tuesday in the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup in Brakpan.
Played under blue skies at the Bosman Stadium, Kenya kicked off the second round of the inaugural competition with a seven-try, 37-5 victory over a Ugandan side that battled hard in a tight first half before succumbing to the Lionesses’ attacking prowess.
South Africa knew they would do well to match their 89-5 win over Uganda in round one and they came up against a Madagascan side that showed plenty of promises in what was only their second test. The Springbok Women, however, showed no mercy and ran in tries at regular intervals as well as keeping opponents scoreless for the first time in more than nine years.
Head coach Eddie Jones said England “need people who have got a samurai spirit” after naming his squad for the Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Jones gave shock call-ups to flanker Lewis Ludlam and uncapped wing Ruaridh McConnochie in the 31-man group.
Gloucester scrum-half Willi Heinz, 32, whose England debut came in Sunday’s win against Wales, is also in the squad, but centre Ben Te’o is not.
“You need guys who are mature, who enjoy life,” said Jones.
“And we’ve deliberately picked a squad like that because it’s going to be an important factor.
“This is an enormous cultural event apart from being a sporting event and you’ve got to be able to cope with the different culture.”
Los Pumas (13) 13 / 46 (24) Springboks (Final Score)
The Argentinian Los Pumas and the South African Springboks did battle in Round 3 of The Rugby Championship 2019 at
X, on 10 August 2019 at 09:35 SA Time (07:35 GMT, 19:35 NZ Time, 17:35 AEST, 04:35 ARG Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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Golden Lions (12) 26 / 31 (18) Blue Bulls (Final Score)
The Xerox Golden Lions and the Vodacom Blue Bulls did battle in Round 5 of the Currie Cup Premier Division 2019 at
Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg, South Africa on 10 August 2019 at 17:15 SA Time (15:15 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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Sharks (17) 27 / 20 (12) Free State (Final Score)
The Cell C Sharks and the Toyota Free State XV did battle in Round 5 of the Currie Cup Premier Division 2019 at
Jonsson Kings Park, Durban, South Africa on 10 August 2019 at 15:00 SA Time (13:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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Wallabies (16) 47 / 26 (12) All Blacks (Final Score)
The Australian Wallabies and the New Zealand All Blacks did battle in Round 3 of The Rugby Championship 2019 at
Perth Stadium, Perth, Australia, on 10 August 2019 at 11:45 SA Time (17:45 AWST, 21:45 NZ Time, 09:45 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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South Africa showed their determination to secure a return to the Women’s Rugby World Cup stage with an impressive display of attacking rugby that Uganda simply had no answer to in their Rugby Africa Women’s Cup 2019 match at Bosman Stadium in Brakpan.
The hosts simply had too much pace, power and experience for Uganda, a side ranked 33 places below them in the World Rugby Women’s Rankings, and 10 first-half tries set them on the road to an 89-5 victory in their opening match played on National Women’s Day in South Africa.
Kenya were the other winners on day one of the first African women’s 15s competition, although they had to battle much harder for their 35-5 victory over test debutants Madagascar in the opening match of a tournament that will determine the first regional qualifier for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021 in New Zealand.
The World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup 2019 comes to a conclusion this weekend with silverware on the line as the USA and Japan, the two unbeaten teams, meet in the title decider in Suva.
There could be double delight for USA in the Fijian capital of Suva on Saturday as the Eagles chase their first World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup title and a possible all-time high of 11th in the World Rugby Rankings.
To do this, they would need to beat Japan by more than 15 points – a difficult task given that the Brave Blossoms are also unbeaten and looking in good form following impressive wins against Fiji and Tonga. Like the USA, Jamie Joseph’s men have rankings history in their sights as a record-equalling ninth place could be theirs if they win and the result of the Rugby Championship match between Argentina and South Africa in Salta falls in their favour.
Head Coach Gregor Townsend today released four players from Scotland’s Rugby World Cup training squad, reducing it to a 40-man group.
Glasgow Warriors Kyle Steyn (wing/centre) and Nick Grigg (centre), Edinburgh scrum-half Henry Pyrgos and Newcastle Falcons back-row Gary Graham have all returned to their clubs.
Townsend said: “I’d like to thank these players for the work-rate and commitment they’ve shown as part of our preparations for the Rugby World Cup in Japan.
He added: “Players are often called up from beyond the 31-man group that travels to a world cup, so I’d encourage these players to keep working as hard on their skills and fitness as they have over the summer, as we may need to call on them in the weeks ahead.”
WP (31) 45 / 14 (7) Pumas (Final Score)
DHL Western Province and the Phakisa Pumas did battle in Round 5 of the Currie Cup Premier Division 2019 at
DHL Newlands, Cape Town, South Africa on 9 August 2019 at 15:00 SA Time (13:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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Gloucester scrum-half Willi Heinz and Bath wing Ruaridh McConnochie will make their England debuts against Wales at Twickenham on Sunday as they make a late bid for Rugby World Cup selection.
Heinz will be vice-captain and partners skipper George Ford at half-back, with Piers Francis at inside centre.
Sam Underhill and Tom Curry play as flankers together for the first time.
Head coach Eddie Jones said his focus for the four warm-ups is on “developing a team capable of winning in Japan”.
Both Heinz and McConnochie were surprise inclusions in the wider training squad, with Heinz now edging ahead of Ben Spencer in the battle to be Ben Youngs’ back-up.
The New Zealand-born playmaker now looks almost certain of a place in the final 31-man World Cup squad, which is named on Monday.
August Internationals 2019 – Rugby-Talk August Tests 2019
Hi,
We hav e a BRAND NEW SuperBru Pool for all to join!
-
- The August Internationals 2019 starts this weekend, so join up without delay and make your first picks immediately.
As of 2016 we have been doing it a bit differently and opened our Pools up to all readers of Rugby-Talk.com, but we encourage you to register as a subsciber on Rugby-Talk.com anyway, as our banter and commenting about our Pools will mostly take place here on the website and not on the SuperBru banter boards! It is so easy to register and such fun to discuss rugby here.
Blue Bulls (10) 15 / 37 (20) Griquas (Final Score)
The Vodacom Blue Bulls and Tafel Lager Griquas did battle in Round 4 of the Currie Cup Premier Division 2019 at
Loftus versfeld, Pretoria, South Africa on 3 August 2019 at 17:15 SA Time (15:15 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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Pumas (9) 27 / 20 (17) Sharks (Final Score)
The Phakisa Pumas and the Cell C Sharks did battle in Round 4 of the Currie Cup Premier Division 2019 at
Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit, South Africa on 3 August 2019 at 15:00 SA Time (13:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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Free State (19) 22 / 24 (7) Golden Lions (Final Score)
The Toyota Free State XV and Xerox Golden Lions did battle in Round 4 of the Currie Cup Premier Division 2019 at
Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein, South Africa on 2 August 2019 at 19:15 SA Time (17:15 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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Exeter have signed lock Jannes Kirsten from South African Super Rugby side the Bulls on a one-year deal.
The 25-year-old joined the Bulls in 2012 and this will be his first time playing for another club.
Kirsten, who can also play back row, is the sixth signing of the summer for Chiefs’ director of rugby Rob Baxter.
Kirsten told the club website: “If you ask any South African player, they want to come here and have a taste of the Premiership.”
Both Leinster and the Isuzu Southern Kings will get a taste of Rugby World Cup action in pre-season after both announced clashes against international opposition.
Defending champions Leinster will face Canada at the end of August in Ontario while the Kings will head to Tbilisi to take on Georgia.
Both fixtures will serve as ideal warm-ups for the Guinness PRO14 seasons to come as the two sides prepare for the many road trips to come and test themselves against opposition intent on hitting their straps in time for Japan.
WP (21) 28 / 30 (10) Golden Lions (Final Score)
DHL Western Province and the Xerox Golden Lions did battle in Round 3 of the Currie Cup Premier Division 2019 at
DHL Newlands, Cape Town, South Africa at 17:15 SA Time (15:15 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
*******************
Free State (28) 68 / 14 (0) Griquas (Final Score)
The Toyota Free State XV and the Tafel Lager Griquas did battle in Round 3 of the Currie Cup Premier Division 2019 at
Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein, South Africa at 15:00 SA Time (13:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
*******************
Wallabies (10) 16 / 10 (3) Los Pumas (Final Score)
The Australian Wallabies and Argentinian Los Pumas did battle in Round 2 of The Rugby Championship 2019 at
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia, at 11:45 SA Time (09:45 GMT, 19:45 AEST, 06:45 ARG Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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All Blacks (7) 16 / 16 (6) Springboks (Final Score)
The New Zealand All Blacks and the South African Springboks did battle in Round 2 of The Rugby Championship 2019 at
Westpac Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand, at 09:35 SA Time (07:35 GMT, 19:35 NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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The stage is set for a thrilling World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup 2019, with the tournament taking on added significance two months out from the World Cup.
This year’s edition promises to be one of the most competitive and fascinating to date with all six participating teams making their final World Cup preparations.
The tournament will be contested by Japan, Canada, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and USA over three rounds on July 27, August 3 and August 9-10, offering teams a vital chance to fine-tune their squads and scope out their opposition.
This Saturday’s opening round fixtures feature Tonga versus Samoa in Apia, Japan versus Fiji in Kamaishi and USA versus Canada in Glendale.
Pumas (10) 17 / 25 (12) Blue Bulls (Final Score)
The Phakisa Pumas and the Vodacom Blue Bulls did battle in Round 3 of the Currie Cup Premier Division 2019 at
Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit, South Africa at 19:15 SA Time (17:15 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
*******************
GREIG LAIDLAW flashes a wry smile when the inevitable question arrives. The 33-year-old scrum-half has been around the block enough times to have known it was coming, and he has shown time and again during his career that he has the mental fortitude to shrug off any negative energy directed his way.
So, when he was quizzed earlier this week about whether he believes he can win back the Scotland No 9 jersey which was surrendered to Ali Price for the final two games of last season’s Six Nations, the feisty Borderer didn’t miss a beat.
“Without a shadow of a doubt I feel I can win the shirt back,” he fired back. “I’ll fight to the death for my jersey, I’ll fight tooth and nail for it if I have to. I won’t be shying away from that.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge and I think it’s good for me. Ali is playing really well, George [Horne] is coming in as a young scrum-half, but I think I add value to the group and you probably saw that in the latter stages in the game down in England.”
Which brings us – almost inevitably – to Scotland’s last outing, when the team demonstrated inside the space of 80 crazy minutes at Twickenham just how vulnerable they are when the wheels come off, but also how dangerous they can be when they find their groove.
After that match, head coach Gregor Townsend spoke about the influence of his benched captain as the squad looked to regroup after a torrid opening 40 minutes during which they had fallen 31-7 behind.
Los Pumas (9) 16 / 20 (20) All Blacks (Final Score)
The Argentinian Los Pumas and the New Zealand All Blacks did battle in Round 1 of The Rugby Championship 2019 at
Estadio José Amalfitani, Buenos Aires, Argentina, at 20:05 SA Time (15:05 Arg Time, 18:05 GMT, Sunday 06:05 NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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Springboks (14) 35 / 17 (10) Wallabies (Final Score)
The South African Springboks and the Australian Wallabies did battle in Round 1 of The Rugby Championship 2019 at
Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg, South Africa, at 17:05 SA Time (15:05 GMT, Sunday 01:05 AEST).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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Sharks (15) 32 / 27 (10) WP (Final Score)
The Cell C Sharks and DHL Western Province did battle in Round 2 of the Currie Cup Premier Division 2019 at
Jonsson Kings Park, Durban, South Africa at 14:00 SA Time (12:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
*******************
Blue Bulls (12) 27 / 43 (22) Free State XV (Final Score)
The Vodacom Blue Bulls and the Toyota Free State XV did battle in Round 2 of the Currie Cup Premier Division 2019 at
Loftus versfeld, Pretoria, South Africa at 19:15 SA Time (17:15 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
*******************
Griquas (10) 37 / 29 (5) Pumas (Final Score)
The Tafel Lager Griquas and Phakisa Pumas did battle in Round 2 of the Currie Cup Premier Division 2019 at
Tafel Lager Park, Kimberley, South Africa at 17:00 SA Time (15:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
*******************
Rugby World Cup 2019 – Rugby-Talk RWC 2019
The Rugby Championship 2019 – Rugby-Talk TRC 2019
Currie Cup Premier Division 2019 – Rugby-Talk Currie Cup 2019
Hi,
We have 3 BRAND NEW SuperBru Pools for all to join!
-
- The Rugby World Cup 2019 starts in 74 days, so join up early for the competition;
- The Rugby Championship 2019 (shortened edition) starts in 12 days, so join up for the competition;
- The Currie Cup Premier Division 2019 starts in 4 days, so hurry up and join up for the competition.
As of 2016 we have been doing it a bit differently and opened our Pools up to all readers of Rugby-Talk.com, but we encourage you to register as a subsciber on Rugby-Talk.com anyway, as our banter and commenting about our Pools will mostly take place here on the website and not on the SuperBru banter boards! It is so easy to register and such fun to discuss rugby here.
Western Province (5) 20 / 5 (5) Blue Bulls (Final Score)
DHL Western Province and the Vodacom Blue Bulls did battle in Round 1 of the Currie Cup Premier Division 2019 at
DHL Newlands, Cape Town, South Africa at 17:15 SA Time (15:15 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
*******************
Golden Lions (14) 38 / 37 (17) Pumas (Final Score)
The Xerox Golden Lions and the Phakisa Pumas did battle in Round 1 of the Currie Cup Premier Division 2019 at
Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg, South Africa at 15:00 SA Time (13:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
*******************
Sharks (6) 13 / 37 (10) Griquas (Final Score)
The Cell C Sharks and Tafel Lager Griquas did battle in Round 1 of the Currie Cup Premier Division 2019 at
Jonsson Kings Park, Durban, South Africa at 19:15 SA Time (17:15 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
*******************
Even in the ever-changing world of rugby union, the nine-point try might seem a bit bizarre. So it’s hard to believe that this inflated value of touching down over your opponents’ goal-line is now a selling feature of Global Rapid Rugby, a new competition with amended laws being introduced to the the Asia Pacific region, which, some suggest, might shape the future direction of World Rugby.
If the nine-point try is still a bit alien to most Scots then not to worry. Because out in Hong-Kong, a key driver of Asian rugby, the ‘Power Try’, as it’s being dubbed, is now everyday life to ex-pat and former North Berwick High School scrum half, Jamie Lauder.
Lauder, who played for Edinburgh Under-18s as well captaining Aberdeen University, recently signed a part-time professional contract with the South China Tigers, one of the sides that is showcasing the new competition this year. The 2019 exhibition series will add up to just 14 matches that will feature the Asia Pacific Dragons (Singapore), Fijian Latui (Fiji), Kagifa Samoa (Samoa), South China Tigers (Hong Kong), Western Force (Western Australia).
Then, for 2020, the competition will move into full blown mode by featuring eight teams playing home and away and fighting for a $1 million AUD first prize. The plan is to expand the competition with teams from the east coast of Australia and from New Zealand, as well as Japan and Hawaii.